AIDS 2014 Cultural Program launched

The City of Melbourne will be lit in red for the duration of the 20th International AIDS 2014 Conference, and will be complimented with a vast program of cultural events from sport, stage and screen.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he was proud Melbourne would host the largest and most sophisticated cultural program ever staged for an AIDS conference.

"We are the cultural and sporting capital of Australia and Melbourne is set to make a powerful statement, a statement that unites our city," the Lord Mayor said.

"Our city is well known for being one of the most open, tolerant and welcoming places in the world. We want to show our visitors that wherever they go in Melbourne, we are painting the town red in their honour."

“I promise you, it will be spectacular” he said.

Forty five iconic landmarks and buildings around the city will be lit red for the duration of the conference including The Arts Centre, Parliament House, Melbourne Town Hall and the Southern Star Observation Wheel.

“I know it will be a very successful and very informative landmark conference around AIDS, but we also want to make it very enjoyable and memorable for those delegates that come from around the world to our city. We want them to know they are welcome back whenever they want to come,” he said.

More than ninety different cultural, retail, business, arts and sporting organisations are participating partners in the cultural program which program coordinators say will inform, entertain and inspire both visitors and locals.

The NRL will also be involved with the conference, with Melbourne Storm showing their support at their home game against the Canberra Raiders on July 19.

“We will be supporting the conference by wearing red socks, the refs will be wearing red on the day and AAMI Stadium will be lit in red too,” Melbourne Storm Ambassador and former Captain Robbie Kearns told MCV.

The conference runs July 20 – 25. AIDS 2014 will bring 14,000 participants from 200 countries to Melbourne, with 1000 journalists, scientists and leaders from around the world in attendance.

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James Findlay is a Melbourne-based writer and broadcaster who has worked in community media for many years. He has won awards for his work on The Naughty Rude Show on SYN, and can be heard on JOY 94.9's breakfast program, Triple Threat, and Hide and Seek - exploring sex, sexuality and self. James was also the Marketing and PR Manager for Melbourne's Midsumma Festival for two years, before traveling overseas where he taught English in Germany and worked as a tour guide around Western Europe. He is currently studying his Masters at Melbourne University in Public Health (specialising in Sexual Health).